


The Scientist

by A_Modern_Girl



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Mostly Canon Compliant, One Shot, Plot What Plot, Plus Epilogue, Songfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-17
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:20:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21825829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Modern_Girl/pseuds/A_Modern_Girl
Summary: During a late night conversation in the science lab, Chakotay convinces Captain Janeway to take a day off.
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway
Comments: 23
Kudos: 72





	The Scientist

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by lauawill's wonderful story Joyride, one of the first stories I read when I discovered the fandom about a year ago. Also inspired by the Coldplay song "The Scientist," which screamed J/C to me. Unbeta'd, hope you enjoy.

Chakotay snuck down the corridor, his light steps belying his large frame. Deck seven wasn't his usual stomping ground, and he didn't want to draw attention to himself. He looked both ways, and finding that the coast was clear, entered the science lab. The single occupant was just as surprised to see him as he was. Even though the computer had told him her whereabouts, Chakotay hadn't expected to find Captain Janeway seated behind the scanning electron microscope at 2200 hours. Despite having no warning whatsoever, she recovered first.

"Is the comm system down?" Janeway asked.

"No," Chakotay replied, apologetically, "Some of us are going to Sandrine's on the holodeck tonight. I stopped by your quarters to see if you wanted to join us, and when you weren't there, curiosity got the better of me."

"Well, you found me," she said with a smile.

Chakotay assumed he was being dismissed, and was just turning to go when Janeway asked him to bring her a tray from across the room. It was packed full of plants, barely alive. He set it on the work station beside her.

"Are these samples from Griffonus?" he asked.

She nodded before turning back to the scope. Voyager had made planetfall two days prior on an uninhabited jungle world. It was too hot for most of the crew to enjoy shore leave, but they had managed to stock up on foodstuffs and collect dozens of intriguing biological samples. Chakotay had assigned all of the daytime science teams to analyze them. He was concerned and a bit confused. Why would the captain preempt their work? He looked at the limp and drooping leaves of the plants on the tray.

"These are the rejects," he reasoned, looking to Janeway for confirmation, "the plants that weren't valuable enough to catalog."

Janeway looked up from the microscope and looked down at the tray wistfully.

"That's the thing about scientific research," she said, "You rarely know if something is significant until you study it. Who knows when another Starfleet vessel will come by this way. I would hate for us to miss something."

Chakotay paused to consider for a moment. There was only so much storage space where the plants could be left in stasis. Obviously, the interesting ones were already there, and the less immediately useful ones had been left out. They would probably die within days. He could pull crewmen from gamma shift to help, and give some of the others double shifts. Janeway would probably reject that option though. It was better to have the crew rested and ready for the next adventure, or crisis, than to overtax them cataloging plants of dubious value. Still, he didn't like to see Kathryn slaving away into the night.

"Why don't you take the day off tomorrow and work on it then?" Chakotay proposed.

Janeway chuckled and shook her head.

"I don't need an efficiency report from Seven to know that my presence would be detrimental, and besides, the crew will need the equipment for the plants we prioritized."

Chakotay chuckled, "You know, this is the kind of thing that would drive a lesser first officer insane."

Janeway smiled back, "Then it's a good thing I don't have a lesser first officer."

Chakotay shook his head, and let his smile slowly fade. He picked up an anemic looking vine with light blue flowers and threaded it through his fingers. Even though they had served together for more than half a decade, he still didn’t always understand his commanding officer. She didn’t need any more work or stress, so why was she so worried about these plants?

"Is it worth it?" he asked, quietly.

"That one,” she said, taking the vine from his hands, “reminds me of the Virginia blue bells that grew on the shady side of my parents' house. My sister and I would sit in the grass, tying the stems together to make crowns and bracelets. I want it in the record so I can show her someday. Let her know I was thinking about her."

Janeway looked into her first officer's eyes. She was trying to hide the sadness behind the mischief, but he knew it was there.

"Not very scientific of me, is it?" she asked.

"Maybe not, but it is a wonderful idea," he said, and decided to try to push his luck, "if you're going to be burning the midnight oil, you should take tomorrow off to recover."

She scoffed, "That's what I get for not having a lesser first officer."

Janeway looked down at the tray. Chakotay guessed she was estimating how much progress she could make: how many minutes, how many plants. He didn't want to rush her decision, but he silently hoped she would accept his offer.

"Fine, you win" she said, "The bridge is yours tomorrow."

Chakotay couldn’t help grinning at his surprise victory. His heart warmed as it always did when she accepted his counsel. Janeway rose and stretched her arms, loosening up for the long night ahead. Without thinking, Chakotay moved behind her and started to work on the knots in her shoulders. He realized his error when she tensed under his touch.

"We said we wouldn't," she said quietly.

"We're not," he said slowly, "We're just taking a break."

Something about the night felt special to him. The science lab was not their domain; it was neutral ground. Most of the crew was happily drinking and chatting away on the other end of the ship. They were inside the bubble of safety that was Voyager, but also separate from it. He hoped she sensed it too. His heart leapt when she reached up and grabbed his hands.

"Well, in that case," she murmured.

Kathryn drew one of his arms across her shoulders, and the other across her hip. She nestled into his embrace and sighed when she found a comfortable spot. Chakotay's heart almost burst at the sound. He rested his head on top of hers and exhaled deeply.

They stood that way for breaths that felt endless. Chakotay knew he should worry about the consequences, or the more immediate concern of someone bursting in. Still, the contentment that flowed through him was strong enough to drown out any concerns. When he sensed the time was right, he released her hands and stepped back.

"That was a lovely break," Kathryn said softly, "but now it’s time to get back to work."

He wanted to stay, to take advantage of their time alone together, to tell her about his day. But he searched her eyes and could see that she needed something else more. The science, yes, but also the solitude. The pleasure of doing a simple task with no one watching.

"I'll send your regards to the folks at Sandrine's," he said.

He had tried to keep his tone light and cheerful, but he could still hear the disappointment in his own voice. One look at Kathryn's face confirmed she hadn't missed it.

"Thank you, Chakotay," she said, and the look in her eyes warmed him to his core.

It was a thank you for being, for existing in the insane world they had built on Voyager. At least, that was how he saw it. He gave her one last nod, then left the lab.

***

The next morning, Chakotay reported to the bridge on time. Everyone was at their stations, except for the captain, as expected. The good mood from Sandrine's had carried forward to the alpha shift. Paris was teasing Harry for his poor performance on the dance floor the night before. Chakotay let the banter go on for a while before ordering the crew back to their tasks.

Confident that things were well in hand, he gave Tuvok the bridge and headed to the ready room to work on crew evaluations. He sat at the desk, her desk, and set to work. It was a few moments before he shifted slightly and his hand brushed a foreign object. He turned to look and was surprised to find a bracelet, made out of the blue vine he had seen the night before, interwoven with some light orange flowers. He smiled and pulled it on his wrist, tucking it under his shirt sleeve so none of the crew would see it. There was no note, no explanation, no promises. But it was enough.


End file.
